Equilibrator.



M. VANIMAN, DEGD.

I L. VANIMAN, ADMINISTRATRIX.

BQUILIBRATOR.

APPLICATION FILED 001218, 1911.

1 ,043376, Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH COUWAISHINGTON. D. C

UNITED STATES PATENT onnron.

MELVIN VANIMAN, OF ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY; IDA L. VANIMAN, ADMINIS-TRATRIX OF SAID MELVIN VANIMAN, DECEASED, ASSIGNOR TO INTERNATIONALAERONAUTICAL CONSTRUCTION COMPANY," A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

EQUILIBRATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 18, 1911.

Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

Serial No. 655,401.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MELVIN VANIMAN, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Atlantic City, in the county of Atlantic and State of NewJersey, have invented a new and Improved Equilibrator, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a combined equilibrator and ballast, moreapplicable to aeronautic devices, and an object of my invention is toprovide a means for quickly raising water-ballast to the aeronautic shipwhile sailing over water, and which may, if desired, be used as a drag.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of theabove-indicated character, which, in passing through the water, willoffer a minimum resistance to the move ments of the aeronautic ship.

I attain the above-outlined objects by disposing a series of hollowbuckets on the end of a flexible lift, depending from the aeronauticship.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a partof'this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views, and in which Figure 1 is a sideelevation of the rear portion of an airship, showing a preferredembodiment of my invention depending therefrom; Fig. 2 is an enlargedside elevation of my equilibrator; Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinaltransverse section, showing the upper bucket and the top of the nextadjacent bucket; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing thelowermost bucket and the lower part of the next adjacent bucket; Fig. 5is a transverse sectional view, taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3, lookingin the direction of the arrow; and Fig. 6 is an end View of thelowermost bucket, looking upward on Fig. 4; and Fig. 7 is an end view,looking downward on Fig. 3.

I have shown an air-ship A, shown in its passage over the water B,within which water is the equilibrator C more particularly forming thesubject-matter of this invention, which equilibrator is attached to theair-ship by a flexible lift D, by means of which lift the equilibratormay be'raised or lowered relative to the ship, the equilibratorcomprising a series of hollow, metallic, cy-

lindrical buckets 8, in this case shown to be six in number.

The upper bucket 9 has a conical or tapered nose 10 at its upper orforward end, and the end opposite the nose is formed into a concavedsubstantially semi-spherical depression 11. The central portion of thedepression 11 has an external pocket 12, open ing into the depression11.

Extending from the center of the pocket 12 to the point 13 of the nose10 is a cylin drical metallic tube 14, formed integral with the metal ofthenose and the metal forming the end 11. The conical nose, adjacent thepoint 13 has within the bucket a reinforcing metallic plate 15,conforming in configuration to and in contact with the inner wall of thenose 10.

Apertures 16 extend through the nose 10 and through the reinforcingplate 15, by means of which apertures water is admitted to the interiorof the bucket. Disposed in alinement in rear of the upper or forwardbucket 9 are a series of similarly-shaped buckets 17 but one of whichwill be described in detail, it being understood that the samedescription will apply to the several intermediate buckets. Thesebuckets are similar in construction to the bucket 9, described indetail, with the exception that, instead of the conical nose 10, theupper ends of the intermediate buckets have their ends formed into asemi-spherical head 18, conforming substantially to the configuration ofthe depression 11, so that, in effect, a ball-and-socket joint isafforded between theupper end 18 of one bucket and the depression 11 ofthe next adjacent bucket.

A series of apertures 19 extend through thehead 18 at a point where thehead meets the conical sides of the bucket and through the reinforcingplate 15. The lower ends of each of the intermediate buckets 17 corre-.

spond in construction to the construction described in detail for thelower end of the upper or forward bucket 9.

A tube 20, similar to the tube 14 extends centrally through each of thebuckets 17, with the exception that the upper end of each of these tubesis formed into a funnel end 21, the outer open end 22 of which is of adiameter slightly greater than the diameter of the pocket 12. Thelowermost bucket 23 is similar in construction to the buckets 17, withthe exception that the lower or rear end has a conical nose 24, similarin construction to the nose 10. The nose 24 terminates in a blunt end25, centrally extending inward from which is the centrally-disposed tube20 leading to the funnel end 21 at the opposite extremity of the bucket28. v

The lift D passes through the alined tubes 14 and 20 in the centralbuckets, and terminates in a stop 26 bearing upon the blunt end 25.Preferably, there is positioned within each of the pockets 12 a clasp 27of any suitable construction, rigidly aflixed to the lift D, and sopositioned with reference to the clasp in the next adjacent pocket 12that the several buckets are maintained in their relative position, butat the same time flexion is permitted between the several buckets, sothat the buckets may take a position, while moving through the water, tooffer a minimum resistance to the water.

It is to be understood that this equilibrator may be lowered into thewater to offer a drag, if desired, or the device may be used as awater-lift to raise water-ballast to suitable tanks within the air-ship.

Many changes could be made in the above construction, and manyapparently widely diflerent embodiments of this invention could be madewithout departing from the scope thereof.

It is intended that all matters contained herein in the abovedescription or shown in the accompanying drawings, shall be interpretedas illustrative and not in a limiting sense. It is also to be understoodthat the language used in the following claims is merely intended tocover all the generic and specific features of the invention hereindescribed and all statements of the scope of the invention, which, as amatter of language, might be said to fall therebetween, and thatmaterials, sizes and relativities of parts are nonessential, except ascalled for in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. In an equilibrator for air ships, aseries of meshing buckets arranged in longitudinal alinement, andflexible means maintaining said buckets in engagement.

2. In an equilibrator, a series of cylindrical buckets disposed inlongitudinal alinement, a ball and socket connection between adjacentbuckets, and flexible means maintaining said buckets in alinement.

3. In an equilibrator, a bucket of general cylindrical form having oneend shaped to form a semi-spherical depression, the opposite end havinga conical nose, a tube extending from said nose of said depressed end, aflexible lift passing through said tube, and means maintaining saidbucket on said lift.

4. In an equilibrator, a bucket of general cylindrical shape having oneend depressed in the form of a semi-sphere, a pocket in said depressedend, and a flexible lift passing through said bucket having a clamprigidly aflixed thereto and positioned within said pocket.

5. In an equilibrator, a bucket of general cylindrical shape having aconical nose'at one end, and a reinforcing plate within said conicalnose conforming in configuration to and in contact with the inner wallof said nose, said reinforcing plate and said nose having aperturesextending therethrough affording an entrance to said bucket.

6. An equilibrator comprising a series of buckets in longitudinalalinement, the adja cent ends of said buckets shaped to afford a balland socket connection between them, a centrally disposed tube in each ofsaid buckets and in alinement, one end of each of said tubes enlarged toform a funnel end, and a flexible connection passing between said tubes,said funnel ends preventing said flexible connection from interferingwith the relative movements between said buckets.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

MELVIN VANIMAN.

Witnesses:

EVERARD B. MARSHALL, ARTHUR WRIGHT.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

